Spain 'the preferred move' for Britons seeking property abroad

Iain Lynn

Spain is the most popular European country for Britons looking to relocate or buy a second home, figures from a property website suggest.

More than 2.5 million searches for properties in Spain are made from the UK every month according to Rightmove.

France is the second most searched-for location in Europe by people using the website.

Rightmove, whose findings were based on searches made over the past year, said Italy is the third biggest hotspot, followed by Portugal.

Searches for properties located in sunny Spain are particularly popular with people living in Glasgow and Liverpool, the website found.

Meanwhile, properties in France were found to attract particular interest from people living in Cardiff, London and Bristol.

Alicante is the most searched-for property destination in Spain, while Nice was identified as the most searched-for resort in France on Rightmove.

According to Rightmove, 62% of inquiries relating to Alicante are for houses, while the remaining 38% are for flats or apartments.

Chris Pease, head of Rightmove Overseas, said: "Over 12 months, we received an average of 2.5 million searches a month for property in Spain, indicating just how in-demand this sunny country is for property seekers.

"Whether it's the large expat community, the sunny climate, the food or simply the easy transition into relaxed Spanish culture that has Britons enthralled, Spain's proximity to the UK, cheap flights and short travel time has it consistently emerging as one of the most popular property destinations abroad."

In June, the average asking price of a home in England and Wales was £316,000.

For this price, someone could potentially buy a five-bedroom villa in Alicante or a three-bedroom apartment in Nice, Rightmove said.

Here are the 10 most popular searched-for destinations in Europe, according to Rightmove, based on the average numbers of monthly searches on its website over the past year: